Once Upon a Book Tour

When I was a baby writer (41 when my first book came out), the idea of a book tour was not something I ever thought I’d experience. No, I was just happy to sit in my jammies in the little cell…er, room…my husband banged out in the basement and try to write another book. 

But life is full of unexpected surprises and gifts, and I just returned from my seventh book tour, and the third one in a year and a half. 

Tour planning starts about four months out from book publication. My team at Berkley includes planning wizards—they research which bookstores host popular events, contact places where I’ve had good crowds in the past, book my flights, hotels, cars.

Seriously, those organizational skills are not to be underrated. They are the Marie Kondos of reservations, getting me my hotel points and sky miles, knowing my TSA precheck number, getting me an aisle seat and all that. They print out an agenda with every detail on it, from their personal cell phone numbers to my hotel address and reservation confirmation numbers, check out times, contact names and numbers at the events, everything, so here’s a very grateful shout-out to those wizards.

For me, the tour begins with packing. I print out my lengthy agenda and assess my closet. Checking a bag is flirting with disaster, so I have to be clever with my mixing and matching and shoes. My toiletry bag is stuffed—under-eye masks, Motrin, heavy duty moisturizer, soap, razor, dental floss and every makeup item I’ve ever purchased (the Sephora staff greets me by name). My other carry-on item is my computer bag, which holds my book talk notes, the excerpt I’ll read, agenda, wallet, laptop, chargers, bookmarks, business cards, gifts for readers…you name it. 

And then, off I go! I do an event a day (sometimes two). It’s rare that I spend more than one night in the same hotel or city. Car to airport to car to hotel to bookstore or library. That’s when the fun begins. 

I’m always certain no one will come, and there have been a couple of occasions in the past when the crowd was less than expected. But this book tour had a fabulous turnout. Almost every event was to capacity, and in some cases, more than a hundred people packed the rooms. Sometimes people sat in aisles or stood in the back when we ran out of chairs, and there is nothing more complimentary than that.

I talk a little about the book and why I wrote it, what I wanted to represent and maybe how my own life is reflected in these pages. I read an excerpt, talk a little more, then take questions and comments. Sometimes people ask after my family; my husband is an especially popular topic, since he’s a firefighter and a devoted husband and dad, and what could be more swoonworthy?

Readers might tell me how my books got them through a tough time or changed how they think about an issue. It’s wonderful. It’s thrilling and touching and intimate, and I often have a lump in my throat. At this point in my career, I’m more than comfortable in front of a crowd, and it really is like chatting with old friends. In fact, some of my readers have become just that—old friends.

After the talk, I sign and personalize books. It’s so humbling that people will wait in line, and I thank them and chat with them and try to press these memories into my heart. Being a successful writer is not a given. I have no clear career path other than “try your best.” So these stops, when I can see the people who made me a bestselling author …this is the crown jewel of my career. 

Then it’s back to the hotel. I lay out my clothes and jewellery for the next day, pack away the other stuff…there’s not a lot of time to spare on these jaunts. I might order room service if I didn’t get to eat dinner. Room service never fails to thrill me. I eat in bed like a delicate princess, propped up by many pillows, and watch medical documentaries (we all have our hobbies), then set my alarm and try to sleep. In the morning, it’s time to check out, get in a car, go to the airport, wander around a bit, eavesdrop (another hobby, but hey! If you’re going to fight with your partner in a public space, you deserve it). Then I board the plane and off we go again.

The first time I went on book tour was with 25 other authors. We were on a bus going through Michigan, signing at Meijer stores, and I flew into Detroit and stayed at the Westin in the airport. I remember it being one of the most beautiful, fanciest hotels I’d ever seen. It was the first time I’d been put up anywhere, and I couldn’t believe I was traveling with all these other fabulous authors. I’m still friends with many of them, I’m happy to say. This year, I stayed at the Detroit Westin again, and I remembered being a baby author among those much more experienced people…it was a little surreal, being back, 17  books later.

When I come home from book tour—in this case, twelve consecutive days away from home with seventeen (?) different flights—my husband and the dogs greet me. Willow races around the house in her victory laps, and Luther licks and licks me, his tail wagging so hard he almost falls down. My hubby hugs and kisses me, and has dinner going, and I change into my pajamas and throw my laundry in the washing machine, then collapse into my big soft chair. The cat might jump on my lap for a minute to two so he can chew on my fingers…his way of showing love (or hunger). A day or two home, then out again, then repeat for a few more weeks. 

It’s tiring, sure. But who cares? It’s a book tour. A book tour! That’s pretty amazing, and I’m damn grateful.

—

Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 19 novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Her books have received dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Kirkus, The New York Journal of Books, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal , People and Booklist. Kristan is also a cohost of the Crappy Friends podcast, which discusses the often complex dynamics of female friendships, with her friend and fellow writer, Joss Dey.

The proud descendant of a butcher and a laundress, Kristan lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband. They own several badly behaved pets and are often visited by their entertaining and long-lashed children.

Follow her on Twitter @Kristan_Higgins

Find out more about her on her website https://www.kristanhiggins.com/

LIFE AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES

“A heart-wrenching page-turner told with warmth and humor.”—People Magazine (Pick of the Week)

“A rich testament to the power of second chances.”—Women’s World

A Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestseller!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Good Luck with That comes a new novel about a blue-blood grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter who discover they are truly two sides of the same coin.

Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn’t protect her from life’s cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve’s young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son.

When Emma’s own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother’s doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her–until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back…but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.

So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips